Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea.
The Senkaku Islands are a group of small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that Japan administers and China (and Taiwan) also claim, so China and Japan are in a maritime dispute over them. The other options describe things that have no basis: they are natural islands, not in the South China Sea, and no US base or ICJ ruling is involved.
- ✓ (b) Japan administers the islands, which it places under Ishigaki City, Okinawa. China and Taiwan press their own claims, which they began asserting around 1970-71 after a UN-linked survey pointed to possible oil under the seabed.
- ✗ (a) They are natural islands and rocks in the East China Sea, not artificial islands and not in the South China Sea.
- ✗ (c) The islands are uninhabited and no permanent American base has been set up on them to help Taiwan.
- ✗ (d) The International Court of Justice has not ruled on them, and the claimants are Japan, China and Taiwan, not South-East Asian countries.
Remember · Senkaku (Japanese name) or Diaoyu (Chinese name) islands: East China Sea, administered by Japan, claimed by China and Taiwan.
Sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Senkaku Islands Q&A (archived copy) ↗ · reference work “it is only since the 1970s that the Government of China and the Taiwanese Authorities began making their own assertions about the Senkaku Islands”
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, About the Senkaku Islands (archived copy) ↗ · reference work “The Senkaku Islands are a group of islands located in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture”
- US Congressional Research Service, The Senkakus (Diaoyu/Diaoyutai) Dispute: U.S. Treaty Obligations (R42761) ↗ “Japan, China, and Taiwan all claim sovereignty over the islands, known as the Senkaku-shoto in Japan, the Diaoyu Dao in China, and the Diaoyutai Lieyu in Taiwan. … Japan administers the eight small, uninhabited features, the largest of which is roughly 1.5 square miles.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·